Research & Education West Coast Canada
2001 - 2026
Advocating, Educating and Researching Locally For The Benefit of Wildlife And Wilderness Emergency Response
West Coast Wildlife (Canada) owns and operates a for profit business to help fund its activites called QuikSAR. Get Found Fast. We sell products useful to getting you found if you get lost in the woods.
For Immediate Release
From: Gerald Shaffer, Chairman, on behalf of West Coast Wildlife Research & Education
Date: nov 2025
Vancouver, B.C. — West Coast Wildlife Research & Education extends its deepest concern and sympathy to the children, families, and community affected by the recent grizzly bear attack near Bella Coola, where 11 young students and teachers were injured during a school outing.
We stand with every child, educator, parent, and responder impacted by this traumatic event. Their safety, healing, and long-term wellbeing are our first priority.
At the same time, we must be clear: killing the bear responsible will not make anyone safer. Evidence from decades of wildlife-conflict research shows that retaliatory wildlife destruction does not prevent future encounters, nor does it reduce long-term risk. Only human preparedness, strong protocols, and the enforcement of existing regulations improve safety outcomes.
Reports indicate the bear may have been injured prior to the incident, a known factor that can produce unpredictable wildlife behavior.
But even with that possibility, the core issue remains systemic: the human safety framework in place was not sufficient to prevent or mitigate an encounter of this scale.
Schools, districts, and local governments have legally defined responsibilities under bylaws, provincial acts, emergency planning standards, and WorkSafeBC requirements. These responsibilities already outline procedures for wildlife-risk management—yet they were not effectively applied.
The lesson here is not to scapegoat wildlife.
The lesson is that our existing human safety systems must be taken seriously and implemented fully.
Retaliatory removal of apex predators is an outdated and ineffective response that provides no measurable benefit to community protection.
Scientific evidence demonstrates that:
Over 90% of bear–human conflicts stem from preventable human factors, not aggressive wildlife behavior.
Killing an individual grizzly does not statistically reduce the likelihood of future incidents in the same area.
Long-term safety is achieved through education, prevention, preparation, and enforcement, not reactive wildlife destruction.
Furthermore, grizzly bears play a critical ecological role in the coastal forest system. Removing one adult bear means the permanent loss of all reproductive potential it carries—every cub it would have had, and every cub those cubs would have had. This is a multi-generational ecological loss, with trophic impacts that extend far beyond a single animal.
Grizzlies support salmon nutrient cycles, soil enrichment, seed dispersal, and apex species regulation. Their removal weakens ecological stability at every level.
We call on all regional districts and municipalities within grizzly country to immediately:
Adopt formal Living Safely With Wildlife Guidelines, including school protocols, attractant management, trail-use procedures, and emergency planning.
Enforce existing legal requirements already embedded in:
municipal bylaws,
provincial wildlife acts,
emergency response frameworks,
WorkSafeBC safety obligations.
Mandate standardized wildlife-safety training for schools, educators, and outdoor program leaders.
Create consistent reporting and evaluation requirements for any outdoor program involving children in bear territory.
These standards exist. The legal tools exist. What is missing is enforcement and implementation.
This event is not a justification for killing wildlife.
It is a call to responsibility.
We reject the notion that Conservation Officer Service–led lethal responses represent meaningful safety solutions. COS actions are complaint-driven and reactive, not part of a proactive community protection framework.
Safety is created by people doing better — not by removing wildlife.
This is not about race, culture, or community identity.
It is about species interaction and shared human responsibility.
What keeps people safe is what works:
evidence-based prevention,
rigorous protocols,
strong local governance,
and respect for the ecological systems we live within.
We are all in this together.
West Coast Wildlife Research & Education
Office of the Chairman
We are firmly opposed to killing the bear. Retaliatory wildlife destruction does not improve public safety and does not prevent future incidents.
Because killing the bear does not create safety. Only strong human systems—protocols, policies, and preparedness—reduce risk. Safety comes from proactive measures, not reactive wildlife removal.
We are saying the systems were insufficient. This is about structural responsibilities, not individual blame. Existing regulations and safety standards were not fully implemented.
Schools must adopt formal wildlife-safety protocols, including staff training, emergency response planning, risk assessments, and proper field trip procedures.
The Conservation Officer Service is reactive and complaint-driven. They are not the foundation for effective prevention. Community-level policies and municipal action are more effective.
They must implement and enforce Living Safely With Wildlife Guidelines, improve attractant management, enforce bylaws, and ensure schools meet safety standards.
Removing a grizzly bear causes long-term ecological disruption. It eliminates all reproductive potential and has cascading effects on forest, salmon, and soil systems.
No. This is not about race or identity. It is about shared human responsibility. Everyone benefits from strong wildlife-safety systems.
Decades of research show that most bear-human conflicts stem from preventable human factors, and that killing bears does not reduce future conflict rates.
Regional districts and municipalities must immediately implement and enforce wildlife-safety guidelines and ensure all institutions, including schools, follow legal safety requirements.
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Subject: Inclusion of Personal-Use Drinking Straws in Municipal Emergency Preparedness Reserves
From: Gerald Shaffer, West Coast Wildlife / Shaffer Farms Resilience Division / QuikSar Emergency Supplies
Date: November 2025
Prepared For: Regional District Emergency Preparedness Offices, Municipal Councils, Emergency Program Managers
To recommend the addition of personal-use drinking straws—specifically biodegradable rye stem straws—to municipal emergency stockpiles and community survival kits. This briefing outlines the rationale, benefits, cost considerations, and implementation options relevant to municipal-level decision-making.
During emergency response operations, water distribution is among the earliest and most universal functions provided by municipalities. In many events—wildfires, floods, earthquakes, infrastructure failures, ferry/road closures—clean drinking water is distributed in bottles, jugs, or communal containers.
A consistent and well-documented problem in these environments is the rapid spread of illness caused by shared drinking vessels. Individuals frequently pass bottles, cups, or improvised containers among one another. In tightly grouped evacuation centers or informal gatherings, this becomes one of the first and most preventable transmission vectors.
Municipal emergency kits currently include masks, gloves, sanitation wipes, and blankets—tools designed to reduce disease spread.
Personal straws are not typically included, despite costing pennies per unit and directly addressing a major contamination pathway.
Shared mouth contact via drinking containers contributes to disease transmission during the first 24–72 hours of a disaster.
A personal-use straw dramatically reduces this risk.
A straw assigned to each individual limits:
Transmission from shared bottles
Mouth-contact contamination
Spread of respiratory droplets onto water containers
Gastrointestinal outbreaks linked to shared utensils
This is a non-medical, low-cost intervention that fits within existing hygiene protocols.
In addition to hygiene functions, personal straws serve as:
Water-access tools for awkward containers
Fire-starting aids by directing airflow into tinder
Lightweight survival tools requiring nearly no storage space
Single-use sanitation tools for high-risk environments
Their multi-functionality aligns with practical field needs.
Straw Type
Advantages
Limitations
Suitability
Metal
durable
requires sanitation, costly, heavy
low
Glass
reusable
fragile, unsafe in debris
very low
Plastic
cheap, light
creates litter, visible trace, burns toxic
moderate
Paper
biodegradable
dissolves quickly, burns with odor
moderate
Rye Stem
locally sourceable, burn cleanly, low trace, cheapest per unit, biodegradable
best for thin liquids only
high
Rye stem straws offer the strongest balance of cost, safety, and field versatility.
Rye stems can be grown, harvested, and cured locally, supporting:
Local agriculture
Community resilience
Reduced dependence on disrupted supply chains
Low-carbon municipal procurement
In regions with agricultural capacity, communities can grow a year's supply at minimal cost.
Unlike plastic or paper straws:
Rye stems leave no persistent trace in field conditions.
They burn cleanly and quietly, without scent—important for wilderness or stealth operations.
They decompose fully, leaving no microplastics.
This aligns with municipal environmental commitments and emergency site clean-up requirements.
Approximate recommended stockpile:
One straw per resident + 20% surplus
For a municipality of 30,000 residents:
Approx. 36,000 straws
Bulk cost: $350–$700 depending on supplier and packaging preferences
Storage requirement: one medium-sized bin
This makes straws among the lowest-cost emergency-preparedness items.
That the municipality:
Adopt personal-use drinking straws as a standard component of emergency reserve kits.
Prioritize biodegradable rye stem straws due to cost, safety, and multi-functional value.
Begin procurement through local agricultural suppliers or regional sustainable-goods providers.
Include straws in:
Water distribution kits
Community emergency bins
Evacuation center supplies
Public “grab-and-go” kits
Provide public education on personal-use straws as a hygiene measure in emergencies.
This intervention is:
Low-cost
Low-tech
High-impact
Environmentally safe
Operationally simple
Locally supportable
Immediately actionable
The smallest tool in the kit may prevent the first wave of illness in a disaster.
Gerald Shaffer
West Coast Wildlife / Shaffer Farms Resilience Division
Roberts Creek, British Columbia
press@squintwerks.com
